Spider Lightning
Spider Lightning Sept Caern Type: War (Rage) Rank: 4 Gauntlet: 3 Current Leadership: Shadow Lord, Red Talon Tribes: Black Furies, Get of Fenris, Red Talon, Shadow Lord, Silent Striders, Wendigo Status: Invitation only to those outside of tribes above except for Corax Totem: Typhon Redemption's Council Sept Alpha: Jack O'Connor --"Shatters-the-Banes" -- Fianna Athro Galliard -- NPC (Damiana) Warder: Mikol Norovsky -- Tenet of Rule --Silver Fang Adren Ahroun (Leelers) Master-of-Rites: Thomas Abbott -- "Cries To The Desolation -- Silver Fang Adren Theurge (NPC) -- Damiana Master of Challenges: Cedric Kismet -- Child of Gaia Adren Philodox -- (Glorymun) Truth Catcher: Gregori Darkfire - "Judges the Shattered Soul" -- Shadow Lord Adren Philodox (NPC) -- DustJackST Keeper of the Land: open to any fostern or Adren, pref. Fianna Talesinger: Cate Dunbar -- "Call To War" -- Fianna Fostern Galliard -- (Meg) Minor Positions Caller of the Wyld: any cliath or fostern, pref. theurge and/or Fianna Master of the Howl: any cliath or fostern, pref Galliard and/or Fianna Den Mother/Den Father: any cliath or fostern, pref metis or Child of Gaia Guardians 1. Tony Veluchi -- Strength of Grace -- Shadow Lord Ahroun (Damiana) 2. open to any fostern 3. open to any fostern 4. open to any cliath 5. open to any cliath 6. open to any cliath The Shadow Lord Schism of 2004 The failure of the American Shadow Lords to overthrow the leadership of the House Wyrmfoe and House Unbreakable Hearth in 2004- and the part the Children of Crow played in it- tore the tribe in two. Margrave had neither sanctioned nor discouraged the attempt; his true relationship with Queen Tamara of Crescent Moon something he's successfully kept both tribes from ever being able to establish. The American Shadow Lords lost tremendous status in Europe- it was an era were Anti-American sentiment was already high in Europe any way. Failure is never something the tribe coped with well. The Lords of the Summit eldership that rules Spider Lightning were personally involved in the attacks in Chicago and New York on the Silver Fang great houses. They had lent their support and resources. The caern had been one of those used to launch an attack via moon bridge upon Chicago. Most dramatically, the caern's Warder, Wyrmfoe and Master-of-Challenges had all been among those who'd participated and died there: the Warder at the hands of a Child of Crow ahroun who served as bodyguard to Unbreakable Hearth's crown prince. Some of Spider Lightning's other high ranking Garou among the other five tribes had gone in support of the Shadow Lords, leaving the sept with a sudden and unexpected gap in its power structure. The BSD of Firewater Hive, upon hearing word of their hated enemies' bad fortune had quickly lept forth to attack the caern enmasse. Unfortunately for them, Corax allies got word to Redemption's Road and Fera allies in time: the BSD were caught between the defenders and calvary and suffered dramatic losses of their own. The Gaians were not able to pursue their advantage, however. Thekla Jadczak Before 2004, Spider Lightning had never had a female sept Alpha. Thekla Jadczak had been born and raised at Spider Lightning; she was the grand-daughter of one of its most revered former sept leaders. She herself was a member of the Bringers of Light; she and her pack Delirium was considered one of the most dedicated and innovative questing and scouting packs in the region and treated one of the Corax like their own. With the open support of the Black Furies and Shawsheen Bright Water, Thekla stepped forward and became the new Sept alpha and promoted the Red Talon Ahroun Hunts-the-Hunters to Warden. She gave the position of Truthseeker to a promising young adren, Joao Mendoca. Thekla promised the sept that she would put their own well-being above tribal politics. She did not ban Children of the Crow from the sept but did not welcome them with open arms. She got the sept's focus away from the tribal schism and more focussed on trying to rebuild their strength and solidarity to defend the caern should the Black Spirals or some other enemy return. She proved to be an excellent sept leader and has a generally good reputation both in the Sept, among the Fera and even at Redemption's Road. Jao Mendoca Joao Medoca was just an adren in 2005 when the moonbridge bringing Shawsheen Bright Water and others abruptly shattered and evidence pointed to an assassination attempt. Before these events, he was known to be ambitious but only in ways that the Shadow Lords, particularly the Lords of the Summit (of which he is a member) consider a tribal requisite. He moved into the limelight when he volunteered to serve the remaining Council at Redemption's Road as Truth-Catcher for Dane Carver Brown. While there was circumstancial evidence directed at the Child of Gaia from other sources, it was Joao's pronouncement that led to his execution. By 2009, Joao Mendoca had established himself as the Truth-Catcher for both septs. Now a ranked Elder, he had ties and influences that spread throughout the city. He had also made a number of enemies and this included a Corax who managed to uncover one of his dark secrets: he'd worded his questions to Dane Carver Brown and then given his own report to the RR Council in ways were intentionally misleading and provoked a harsh sentence on an innocent elder. This Corax took that news to her own allies and to Jack O'Connor. Joao has laughed the accusations away and said she's simply a woman scorned. Most of Spider Lightning (except for the other Corax) either believe him, are more impressed that he did it and got away with it, or simply don't care. More seriously for Joao Mendoca, a recent action he took had unforseen events. He had been asked by the local elders to determine if a teenage girl of no blood purity born of a union between a kinfolk mage and human mage could be trusted and deserved to be fully recognized with a rite of kinship. He found her unworthy and used a powerful Geas to cause her to loose all memories of the Garou if she could not change his mind in two hours time. The girl ran off and minutes after the Geas activated, she was struck down by a car. Had not a Child of Gaia EMT been among those responding to the scene and used Mother's Touch to heal at least some of her injuries she would have been died. The Council of Elders at Redemption's Road supports Mendoca's actions but there are a number of younger Garou and kinfolk, especially those close to the girl who are trying to call both Mendoca and the elders into accounting. What Now? ... that's for the players to help determine